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Their Religious Symbols, Drawings and Expressions : 189 Carved arches (torana) suggest the foliages of these forests; ceilings wonderfully chiselled show a piece of the abode of the liberated souls. The high spire (śikhara) or the pyramidal shape (vimăna) are symbols of Mount Meru which is, at the same time, the axis and the highest spot of the world from where souls may soar up towards the summits of spirituality, perfection and endless bliss.
Some temples have their entrances in the four directions to show the universality of Jainism. Others are arranged in groups like real cities, to display the impressive and multiform Jain community. Noble materials are used to build these splendid constructions. They show the holy and pure character of temples where devotees can only enter with clean vesture and composure and where women are not a on days of their menstrual cycle. In their sanctuaries, the Digambara have adopted a more restrained and simple style than the Svetāmbara to point out by comparison the greater harshness and austerity of their obedience.
Most Jain temples are built on a square foundation slab (kurmaśīla) with carvings of stout marine beings that live long. They manifest the wish of builders and followers that these constructions be solid and resistant to time and destruction. On the threshold of the main entrance, a pair of dragon's faces (makaramukhā virali) is often depicted. They are set to remind those who enter the necessity to crush passions and to trample attachment and aversion under foot, two chief reasons of bondage to the world.
When the inaugural ceremony of a Jain temple takes place, an “Ācārya” raises at its top a white and saffron coloured flag (dhvajā) on a long pole. It is the symbol of his wish that the sanctuary sustains the faith of devotees. Every year, on the anniversary of this rite, the flag is changed for a new one in a ceremony called “dhvajārohana”, so that this holy place never hoists a dirty or faded symbol.
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